President Muhammadu Buhari has met separately behind closed doors with Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State, former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and former Osun State Governor, Chief Bisi Akande, at his official residence, Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Zulum used the opportunity of the meeting to update the president on security developments in Borno while Tinubu thanked the president for his support during the 12th Asiwaju Bola Tinubu Colloquium held in Kano on March.
Buhari, who participated virtually in the event to mark the 69th birthday of the former two-term Governor of Lagos State, commended the celebrant for always being an advocate of unity and cohesion in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has expressed confidence that Nigeria will overcome her current security challenges.
Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, said that the vice president made this known when he received a traditional ruler from Nasarawa State, Alhaji Ahmed Hassan, the Yankanje Uke.
Osinbajo assured that the present challenges would prepare Nigeria for a greater and prosperous future and urged the traditional institution to support the re-engineering process.
“There is no question at all that we are facing security challenges, but we are able to overcome them; the role of the leadership is to sit down to think through the problems.
“This is a big country; so policing is very difficult; there is a need for us to reorganise our security architecture, which is what is going on now.’’
“I believe strongly that the reason we are experiencing what we are going through today is because we are being prepared for the future.
“A future where we will take into account all of the problems because if we haven’t gone through the problems we are going through now, it will be difficult for us to appreciate the importance of fairness and justice, the importance of giving people a voice and a representation.
“I am very pleased to hear about what you are doing.”
The vice president said that one of the reasons why there were divisions and conflicts in the parts of the country was because people did not feel included in the management of affairs in their localities.
He commended the traditional ruler for his leadership style.
“I think you have created an opportunity where the options are available for bringing appeals to a center of fairness and justice for people from across the country, and it is one that is to be emulated.
“And I think that this is the way Nigeria should be; we should be able to say that no matter where you are from, if you have the talent; if you work hard, you will succeed wherever you are. You will not be constrained by your political, ethnic or religious affiliations.”
“Every great society that has succeeded in the world is multi-ethnic and they succeeded because they brought in talents from all over the place.’’
Osinbajo urged traditional rulers to leverage the influence they had over communities to effect positive change for the good of the entire society.
On his part, the traditional ruler commended the vice president for his ability to bring people of different ethnic groups in the country together.
He said in his kingdom in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa, Osinbajo was being emulated in terms of bringing ethnic groups in Nigeria together as one.
Hassan appealed to the Federal Government to integrate the traditional institution in the implementation of some of its intervention schemes for small businesses and the less privileged.
Also present at the meeting were the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Doguwa and the heir apparent to the throne, Prince Nurudeen Abdullahi.
Members of the Yakanaje Emirate Council and Kingdom and the Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Senator Babafemi Ojudu, among others were at the meeting.
